LINK Thinks

LINK Thinks is a space for members and others to express their views about Scotland’s environment. If you would like to contribute a blog please contact information@scotlink.org. The opinions expressed in this blog are the author's and not necessarily those of the wider LINK membership.

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UK ministers must not miss chance to heed devolution

11 Apr 2025

This first appeared in The National, on Saturday 5th April 2025. When Scotland votes in the Holyrood election next year there will be voters casting their ballot who were born in 2010, when Scotland had its fourth First Minister and was preparing for the fourth election of the devolution era. Devolution is not new – […]

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The final EDI Fortnight – ensuring nature is for all

02 Apr 2025

By Leigh Abbott, Nature for All Officer at Scottish Environment LINK The final EDI Fortnight as part of the Nature for All project  begins in less than a week’s time, and we are very excited to learn, share, and change our practices to put diversity and inclusion at the forefront of our work in the […]

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The Natural Environment Bill must deliver effective reform of deer management in Scotland

19 Mar 2025

By Duncan Orr-Ewing, Convener of LINK’s Deer Group Over the past eighty years there have been no less than seven separate Government-appointed inquiries into the “red deer problem”.  By 2010, red deer numbers had reached an all-time high of 400,000 animals and the Red Deer Commission was merged with Scottish Natural Heritage (now NatureScot). The […]

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The Natural Environment Bill is an opportunity to protect Scotland’s nature

26 Feb 2025

The introduction of statutory targets to protect nature is a long-standing campaign demand of Scottish Environment LINK. We therefore welcome the publication of the Natural Environment Bill, introduced to the Scottish Parliament last week, which represents a vital opportunity to halt biodiversity decline and drive forward nature’s recovery.  Scotland’s Biodiversity Framework  The Scottish Government’s commitment […]

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Safeguarding Scotland’s cetaceans: improving the effectiveness of marine protected areas

24 Feb 2025

By Vicki James, Protected Areas Coordinator at Whale and Dolphin Conservation Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a critical tool for protecting important areas for cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) in Scottish waters. Around the UK, 11 MPAs have been designated specifically for cetaceans. However, research into the management effectiveness of these MPAs by Whale and […]

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Faltering biosphere accelerates climate change

04 Feb 2025

Guest blog by James Curran (LINK Honorary Fellow) and Sam Curran When I retired from paid work, I was eager to dive back into science. For years, I had an idea brewing that – if my hypothesis was right – would have important consequences for the planet, but I never had the time to explore […]

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The future of Scotland’s land use: Regional Land Use Partnerships

27 Jan 2025

The way that we use the land underpins much of our lives and the ways that we experience the places around us. How Scotland’s land is owned, used and managed is not only central to the economy and the natural environment, but it is key to the wellbeing of individuals and communities. Land use planning […]

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Dear Cabinet Secretary, we love Scotland’s seas. Please protect them before it’s too late.

21 Jan 2025

We asked supporters to write personal messages to Gillian Martin, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, telling her why they care about Scotland’s seas. The messages came from across the country, from people with first-hand experience of the decline of our seas, and from people concerned about the world their children and grandchildren will inherit if we don’t act now.

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What Scotland can do for nature and climate in 2025

16 Jan 2025

Here we are at the start of 2025. We’re half way through the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and half way towards the Global Biodiversity Framework target to ‘take urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss to put nature on a path to recovery for the benefit of people and planet’. We also have […]

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